I, Detective

By Anthony North

You’ll find every type of crime and all manner of detectives in this dip-in volume of 16 short stories. Meet Cass Nova, who just can’t separate his personal and professional life. Go back to the 19th century with Marmaduke Grey; experience the battle of different detection methods in Hard Cop, Soft Cop; and as for The Matilda Chronicles ... please forgive me, Agatha.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Anthony North
• Release date: Jan 10, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301619740

Anthony North

Thinker & Storyteller****7,453 Words to Save the UK and I,Writer are now FREE. Scroll down to find them.*****1955 (Yorkshire, England) – I am born (Damn! Already been done). ‘Twas the best of times ... (Oh well).I was actually born in the year of Einstein's death, close to Scrooge's Counting House. It doesn't mean anything but it sounds good. As for my education, I left school at 15 and have had no formal education since. Hence, I'm self-taught.****From a family of newsagents, at 18 I did a Dick Whittington and went off to London, only to return to pretend to be Charlie and work in a chocolate factory.When I was ten I was asked what I wanted to be. I said soldier, writer and Dad. I never thought of it for years – having too much fun, such as a time as lead guitarist in a local rock band – but I served nine years in the RAF, got married and had seven kids. I realized my words had been precognitive when, at age 27, I came down with M.E. – a condition I’ve suffered ever since – and turned my attention to writing.Indeed, as I realized that no expert could tell me what was wrong with me, I began my quest to find out why. Little did I realize it would last decades and take me through the entire history of knowledge, leaving me with the certainty that our knowledge systems are inadequate.****My non-fiction is based on P-ology, a thought process I devised to work with patterns of knowledge, and designed to be a bedfellow to specialization. A form of Rational Holism, it seeks out areas the specialist may have missed. I work from encyclopaedias and introductory volumes in order to gain a grasp of many subjects and am not an expert in anything, but those patterns keep forming. Hence, I do not deal in truth, but ideas, and cover everything from politics to the paranormal.When reading my work I ask only: do I make sense? Of course, an expert would say: a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. I agree. And an expert has so little knowledge of everything.I also write novels and Flash Fiction in all genres.

Book preview

I, Detective

By Anthony North

Copyright Anthony North 2013

Cover image copyright, Yvonne North 2013

Smashwords Edition

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission

Other books by Anthony North

Beginning in 2019 I’m publishing 14 volumes of my fiction, inc 7 novels in most genres, & 21 works of non-fiction covering cults, politics, conspiracies, religion, disasters, science, philosophy, warfare, crime, psychology, new age, green issues & all areas of the unexplained, inc ufology, lost worlds and the paranormal. Hopefully appearing at the rate of one a month, check out the latest launch at my bookstore at http://anthonynorth.com or buy direct from Smashwords for all devices at: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/anthonynorth

In addition to the above, you may like my ‘I’ Series – 8 volumes of flash fiction (horror, sci fi, romance, adventure, crime), 4 volumes of poetry & 5 volumes of short essays from politics to the unexplained. Available from same links as above. Also check out my bookstore for news of my books out in paperback.

CONTENTS

Introduction

NOVA

To Begin Again

Photo-Shoot

Banking on the Future

A Gangland Tale

Only Kidding

Life in Suspense

MARMADUKE GREY

Body of Evidence

Our American Friend

A Shot In the Dark

HARD COP, SOFT COP

A Ministerial Affair

Run, Daddy, Run

Who Trespass Against Us

THE MATILDA CHRONICLES

The Case of the Errant Husband

The Case of the Uninvited Guest

The Case of the Poisoned Pen

BONUS - CUTHBERT KING

Matchbreaker

About the Author

Connect With Anthony

INTRODUCTION

You’ll find every type of crime and all manner of detectives in this dip-in volume of 16 short stories. Meet Cass Nova, who just can’t separate his personal and professional life. Go back to the 19th century with Marmaduke Grey; experience the battle of different detection methods in Hard Cop, Soft Cop; and as for The Matilda Chronicles … please forgive me, Agatha.

NOVA

TO BEGIN AGAIN

I suppose it was one of those days - you know, the sort where you wish you'd stayed in bed. But then again, maybe not. Jenny, my wife, had come back. She'd left me for another man, but now she'd come back. And why? Because she wanted a kid.

Of course, she said it would save our marriage, but I saw through that. After all, I AM a detective. And there were giveaways, such as the other day when she phoned me at work, said, 'I’m ovulating,' and had me screw her in the car park.

DCI Groves invaded my thoughts, then.

'DI Nova.' I looked up. 'We've got reports of trouble at St Michael's church. Get over there.'

Me and Groves didn't get on. I thought him a fat git. He thought me a skinny runt. But a working relationship was had nonetheless. I said, ‘yes guv,’ and left the office. Drove over in my car.

DC Sandy Powers was waiting outside for me.

I hated Sandy. She hadn't been here long, but with long, dark hair, a beautiful face and incredible body, she did things to me.

I said: 'What's happening?'

'Looks like someone's gone berserk in the church, guv.'

Cop cars were beginning to arrive, S019 had been called, a cordon was being made. A group of parishioners huddled by the corner, some with blood on them, a medic or two treating them for shock.

From Sandy and the parishioners I got a simple story. A new guy to the church - Martin Saunders - had gone loopy, took out a knife, and knifed one of the parishioners to death. Saunders was still in there with the body and, of course, the knife.

'Do you know what caused it?' I asked.

Of course, none of them did. But I got a hint. They were all old - the youngest must be sixty - and Saunders was only thirty. And following a quick check with PNC, it was all there. He'd been a villain in the past - two stretches inside for robbery - and now he'd gone straight. Found religion - a Born Again Christian, they call them. But had not found a congregation open-minded enough to accept him.

I took off my jacket and put on a stab-vest. ‘I’m going in,’ I said.

Sandy Powers shook her head. 'Is that a good idea, guv.'

'Sandy,' I said, ‘I’m DI Nova. All my ideas are reckless. Don't you know that?'

She nodded her head this time. Bitch. Gorgeous bitch.

It was an old church. Inside it was dark and musty. I adjusted my eyes to the light and saw him by the altar. 'Hi,' I said, 'my name's Cass. What's yours?'

He looked up, surprised, taking his eyes off the bloodied body on the floor. He held the knife awkwardly, as if he didn't want it. He said, stumblingly: 'Martin.'

‘It's a bit of a mess, isn't it Martin.'

We both looked at the body,